Wardrobe



2 Sheets-Sheet :2. (No Mpdel.)

Inventor.

ANDREW B.GRMMM. FNOTO-UYNQWASNINGTUNJS.

UNTTED STATES PATENT fOrmcn.

FREDERICK ELLERY POLLARD, OF WVORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

WARDROBE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,397, dated February 11, 1896.

Application filed March 8,1895. Serial No. 541,004. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK ELLERY POLLARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at i Vorcester, in the county of WVoroesterand State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in \Vardrobes, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same, and in which- Figure 1 represents a front elevation of a wardrobe embodying my invention, said elevation representing the door as closed upon the left-hand half of the figure and the door as open upon the right-hand half of the figure. Fig. 2 is a top view shown in sectional view on lines 2 2, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on line 3 3, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the wheels at the end of the wardrobe by which the direction 'of the flexible door is changed, said figure also showing a portion of the track, and also a portion of the flexible door by which onehalf of the wardrobe is closed; and Fig. 5 represents the wheel by which the direction of the flexible door is changed, showing in sectional view a portion of the supporting framework and representing a slight modification in the construction of the framework of the wardrobe.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

My invention relates to certain improvements in wardrobes designed for the use of schools, hospitals, offices, public buildings, 850.; and it has for its object to provide a ventilated chamber or closet specially arranged and adapted for the reception of various articles of clothing, and having its front side closed by a flexible door, which is capa-' ble of being moved around the end of the wardrobe into a pocket upon the rear side, by which the entire front of the wardrobe can be thrown open by sliding the flexible door into its pocket at the rear of the Wardrobe; and my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and specifically pointed out in the annexed claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 represents a front elevation of my improved wardrobe. (Shown as placed with. its back against one of the partition-walls of a building.) The ends of the wardrobe are closed by rectangular casings, consisting of the paneled front casings, A A, provided with ventilating openings A, preferably closed by a wire netting, and the end casings, B, Fig. 2, extending from the front casings, A, to the wall A of the building and having similar ventilating-openings.

C denotes a cornice extending across the ends and front of the wardrobe.

The front of the wardrobe is divided by .a mullion D into two parts, each part being closed by an independent door.

Supported upon the inner side of the cornice is an overhead track E, upon which run trolleys E" attached to and supporting a flexible door E extending across the open space between the front casings, A, and the mullion D, the door upon the left-hand side of Figs. 1 and 2 being represented as closed and that upon the right-hand side as open. Within the framework already described I inclose an interior frame, consisting of a table F supported at each end upon uprights F, Figs. 3 and 4, provided with ventilating-openings F so the air which passes through the openings A within the end casings can pass through the upright partitions F into the space beneath the table F.

The rear side of the space beneath the table F and the upright partitions F is closed by sheathing, forming a back F to the interior of the wardrobe, and between the sheathing F and the wall A of the building is a space, forming a pocket F to receive the flexible door. Mounted upon studs G, supported upon the table F, are Wheels G, which are placed at the ends of the table, and are of sufficient diameter to bring the overhead tracks E and the pockets F tangential to the periphery of the wheels. The opposite ends of the flexible doors E are connected by cords G which pass around the periphery of the wheels G and over the small rolls G G Fig. 2, there being two sets of rolls, one set of rolls being placed over the other Whenever two doors are employed, and the upper set of rolls only being shown in the drawings.

The overhead track E is arranged to support the door by means of the trolleys E when the door is moving in a straight line, but as IOO the door passes around the wheels G, the overhead tracks are omitted and the inner side of the door is provided with a series of projecting blocks H attached to the door and in the proper horizontal plane to rest upon the upper surface H of the rim of the wheels G, so that the weight of the door, which has been supported by the trolleys E when moving in a straight line, becomes supported by the rim of the wheel when passing around the periphery of the wheel from the front to the rear side of the wardrobe. Projecting from the ends of the table F are screws or studs I carryin g rolls J, which bear against the under surface of the rim of the wheels G, so as to cause the weight of the door as it is supported upon the rim to be received by the studs I.

Within the wardrobe are arranged the shelves K, K and I, and to the edges of the shelves are affixed the wardrobe-hooks K each of the shelves proj eeting beyond the next lower shelf, so as to bring the series of hooks in different vertical planes, so that clothing suspended from each tier of hooks will hang independently of articles upon the next adj acent tier. Below the shelves are a series of pins, spring-clips, or hooks K, adapted to receive the handles of umbrellas,which are supported by their tips upon a trough K running lengthwise the wardrobe and having a slight inclination to allow the drip from the umbrellas to be collected in a pail K Beneath the trough K are arranged a series of pigeon-holes K adapted to receive overshoes or small packages, said pigeon-holes, umbrella pins and hooks being so arranged vertically, one above the other, as to allow each vertical series to be designated by a single number, so that each number will indicate the garment, umbrella and overshoes of a single person.

Ventilating-openings L, Fig. 2, are formed in the table F, communicating by a pipe 0, Fig. 1, ifdesired, with a ventilating-flue of the building and a hot-air register, as indicated by the broken lines L Fig. 2, can be formed in the floor to admit hot air to the interior of the wardrobe.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a slight modification in the construction of the case, which consists in extending the bars M M lengthwise beneath the table F and mounting the overhead track E upon these bars and attaching the trolley-rolls N directly to the inner side of the door, placing the overhead tracks in the same plane as the wheels G, so the rolls N will pass from the tracks E directly upon the rim of the wheel G. By the modified form of construction the overhead tracks are supported by the interior framework comprising the uprights F and table F, instead of being supported by the outer framework comprising the end casings A and B and the cornice G, as shown in Fig. 3.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a wardrobe, the combination of an outer framework comprising end casings A and B, cornice C, an inner framework comprising the upright partitions F and a table F, said frameworks being provided with a front opening and a rear pocket adapted to receive a flexible door, awheel supported upon said inner framework of sufficient diameter to bring its periphery tangential to said front opening and said rear pocket and a flexible door adapted to close said front opening and be moved around the periphery of said wheel into said rear pocket, substantially as de scribed.

2. In a wardrobe, the combination with a framework, provided with a front opening, a flexible door adapted to close said opening, a pocket at the rear to receive said flexible door; a wheel supported by said framework with said front opening and said rear pocket tangential to said wheel, whereby the direction of said door is changed and a series of blocks projecting from the inner side of said door and adapted to rest upon said wheel, substantially as described.

3. In a wardrobe, the combination with a supporting-framework, provided with a front opening, a flexible door adapted to close said opening, a pocket in the rear of said framework adapted to receive said door, a wheel supported by said framework by which the direction of said door is changed, blocks attached to said door and arranged to bear upon said wheel, a stud projecting from said framework and a roll carried upon said stud and bearing against the under side of said wheel, whereby said wheel is supported against the weight of the door, substantially as described.

4. In a wardrobe, the combination of an outer framework comprising the end casings A and B, cornice C, an inner framework comprising the upright partitions F and table F and a flexible door moving between said outer and inner frameworks, substantially as described.

5. In a Wardrobe, the combination of a framework comprising the upright partitions F, table F and back F said frame having an opening in front, a flexible door adapted to close said opening and a wheel G, by which the direction of said flexible door is changed, substantially as described.

Dated this 5th day of March, 1805.

F EDERICK ELLERY POLLARD. Witnesses:

RUFUs B. FOWLER, EMMA KESTER. 

